Play with cats on Humane Society’s new website

By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

Want a distraction from work or something to occupy your time in the middle of the night? Escondido Humane Society’s round-the-clock interactive kitty cam could be the solution.

Its iPet Companion website launched on April 28 and within days people were lining up in cyberspace for their chance to play with some of the humane society’s adoptable cats in two-minute sessions. The opportunity is free for participants. It is available by going to

www.escondidohumanesociety.org

and clicking on the “iPet Companion” button found on the home page.

“It’s really addicting,” said EHS Spokeswoman Katie Woolsey. “It’s ridiculously cute to watch the cats play.”

Online participants in individual sessions get to control the three cat toys mounted in the Escondido Humane Society’s cat patio — swirling toys with the hope of getting the attention of the several cats who live there. Operators can also control the camera, zooming in to get a closer look at a particular kitty or panning the room to see what the cats are doing in other areas of the patio. Camera operators can also take a photo of their favorite cat, perhaps so they can meet the feline in person during a potential adoption visit.

Those awaiting their turn can watch the antics of the cats as they play — or not — with the toys being swirled around by others.

Woolsey said iPet Companion has been around for a couple years. Escondido is the 10th Humane Society to use it in the U.S. and the only one in Southern California. According to the company, participating shelters saw:

• Up to an 18 percent increase in kitten adoptions,

• Up to a 295 percent increase in sponsorships,

• Up to 52 percent sustained increase in overall web traffic,

• Participants from more than 170 countries logging in for online kitty play, and

• Average viewer sessions of 24 minutes per site.

According to the company’s website, “iPet Companion is the world’s first interactive, web-based pet toy. ... (It) allows online users to play with shelter animals in real time via the Internet from anywhere in the world.”

Woolsey said it cost EHS less than $1,000 to have the toys installed plus obtain mechanical and technical support. The system is hosted on iPet Companion’s data server instead of the Humane Society’s website. To use, viewers need to download the free Silverlight software, so some tablets and cell phones are incompatible.

Escondido Humane Society officials decided to join iPet Companion with the hope that it will increase adoptions and awareness of their animals, Woolsey said. Even if online players cannot adopt a cat due to allergies, living too far away or other reasons, they might talk about the facility to others or make a donation.

“It’s the added exposure,” she said, adding the program also gives shut-ins and those with cat allergies a way to connect with cats.

The cat patio is where cats that get along well with other cats live instead of staying in the kennels, she said. Typically it has seven or eight cats in residence and soon a litter of kittens might move in, which would add another dimension of potential fun.

“The best hours to play are the middle of the night because the cats are the most active and there is almost no competition (for online play time),” Woolsey said. “So if you’re up late or can’t sleep (log on).”

While there is no dog version available, Woolsey said Escondido Humane Society has not left its canine residents without some technological perks. It has two areas where Dog TV can be viewed. This is a special cable channel with dog-oriented programming.

When their television channel is on, Woolsey said the dogs “rest more and bark less, which is what we are looking for in a shelter environment.”